NGO Reporter Brasil´s Experience on Monitoring Social Impacts of Ethanol

NGO Reporter Brasil’s experience on
monitoring social impacts of ethanol

Marcel Gomes
NGO Repórter Brasil
www.reporterbrasil.org.br
www.agrocombustiveis.org.br
www.biofuelbrazil.org

2nd Workshop on the Impact of New Technologies on the
Sustainability of the Sugarcane/Bioethanol Production Cycle

CTBE – Campinas – Brazil
November, 2009

Areas of expertise

Research and Journalism

Education
Advocacy


Value chain
Social mobilization and commitments among
civil society, goverments and companies

Researchs, report’s production, education and advocacy projetcs

Identification of social and environment impacts, labour violations,
production chains, social, economic and political actors


Commodity and Biofuel Initiatives

Inputs from Landless Workers’ Movement, Land Pastoral Comission,
local social movements and NGOs, companies, universities, Federal
Prosecuting Counsel, Labour Prosecuting Counsel, goverments...



•  National Pact Against Slave Labour

•  National Commission Against Slave Labour

•  Sustainable Connections Pacts

•  Brazilian Civil Society Network on Biofuels ‘RedeBio’

•  Round Table on Responsible Soy

•  Brazilian Initiative for Farming and Cattle Evaluation
System



Social struggles’
demands
Legal infractions

Repórter Brasil
Socioeconomic
Research Framework



Social struggles’ demands

•  Who are the actors?
•  What is the social network?
•  Where are the centers?
•  What are the demands?
•  What are the strategies?
•  What roles are they playing?
•  How the public agenda has been produced?


Sugarcane complex workers – São Paulo
(1,000Rais)

Total Only Cultivation
+87% +27%
2007 – 215 97
2006 – 207 96
2005 – 151 75
2004 – 145 67
2003 – 122 61
2002 – 114 61
2001 – 115 76


Legal Infractions

•  Penal Code
•  Brazilian Labour Law (CLT)
•  Regulatory Norm (Norma Regulamentadora) 31


1999
Monthly wage – R$ 509 (Rais)
4.54 basic food package (Dieese)

2007
Monthly wage – R$ 1142
5.55 basic food package

2000-2008
Price paid per sugarcane ton + 9.8% (IEA)

2000-2008
Worker’s productivity +11.9% (IEA)


Notifications on Labour Irregularities – Sugarcane Sector – São Paulo

2006 2007 2008

Actions - 160 109 50
companies
inspected
Number of 95.596 74.777 52.065
workers attended
Notifications Notifications/ Notifications Notifications/ Notifications Notifications
Actions Actions / Actions

Excessive 72 0.45 19 0.17 14 0.28
working hours
Lack of breaks 27 0.16 19 0.17 7 0.14
Official contracts 42 0.26 32 0.29 13 0.26
Payment 27 0.16 41 0.37 34 0.68
Weekly time off 15 0.09 26 0.23 26 0.52
Improper 37 0.23 48 0.44 24 0.48
restroom facilities
Absence of 52 0.32 49 0.45 31 0.62
individual
protection
equipments
Improper lodging 8 0.05 27 0.24 3 0.06
Improper 29 0.18 40 0.36 13 0.26
transport

Source: Grupo Estadual Rural – São Paulo


Labour Inspection Actions – São Paulo (February – June, 2009)

Bauru São José do Ribeirão TOTAL
Rio Preto Preto

Companies 26 13 07 46

Involved workers 9.395 10.387 13.157 32.939

Autos Infração
- Labour Law 23 28 21 72
- Safety/Health 56 69 41 166
Cities 09 11 06 26


Slave Labour


Slave Labour Dirty List (Jan, 2007)

Source: CPT, MTE* (07/10/09)
e MPT* (05/11/09)


*

Source: CPT, MTE* (07/10/09)
e MPT* (05/11/09)


Tabela 1: Estado de nascimento do trabalhador
Estado Ocorrências %
Maranhão 5417 31,3
Mato Grosso do Sul 1556 9,0
Pará 1441 8,3
Bahia 1181 6,8
Piauí 1176 6,8
Tocantins 1064 6,1
Minas Gerais 995 5,7
Goiás 783 4,5
Alagoas 759 4,4
Pernambuco 611 3,5
Paraná 521 3,0
Ceará 493 2,8
Mato Grosso 338 2,0
Paraíba 268 1,5
São Paulo 235 1,4
Rio Grande do Norte 131 ,8
Santa Catarina 69 ,4
Espírito Santo 64 ,4
Rio Grande do Sul 54 ,3
Rondônia 46 ,3
Acre 38 ,2
Rio de Janeiro 20 ,1
Amazonas 18 ,1
Distrito Federal 17 ,1
Sergipe 16 ,1
Roraima 5 ,0
Amapá 2 ,0
Total 17318 100

www.reporterbrasil.org.br

*

Source: CPT,
MTE* (31/10/09)


Labour impact causes:

•  Fragile laws
•  Inspection groups deficiency
•  Overexploitation of labour tradition
•  Economic benefits
•  Weak civil society
•  Available labour


Labour Perspective
Right to Strike

Sugarcane cutter Victor Ronaldo de Alencar, fired Feraesp assistant in Sertãozinho, SP
after a strike in Sertãozinho, São Paulo


Labour Perspective
Right to Strike

•  Rise in wages
•  Non payment of wages
•  Meal (ticket)
•  Transparency of sugarcane measurement
•  Better labour conditions


Labour Perspective
Changes in Migration Flows

Montanha and Brito, from Pimenteiras, PI, Julia, in Leila’s arms, knows her father only from
who work as sugarcane cutters in Sertãozinho, SP pictures her mothers shows her.


Labour Perspective
Changes in Migration Flows

•  New ethanol/sugar mills
•  Longer harvest
•  Harvest mechanization


Labour and Land Perspective
Indigenous Rights

Xakriabá Indians who work in sugarcane cutting Guarani-kaiowá was hurt after attack in
in Pontal, São Paulo Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul


Labour and Land Perspective
Indigenous Rights

•  Sugarcane advancement vs. right of land
•  Labour relation
•  Labour law and indigenous rights


Thank you!

Marcel Gomes
marcel@reporterbrasil.org.br


NGO Reporter Brasil´s Experience on Monitoring Social Impacts of Ethanol

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